Episode 54 (Manga)
Synopsis The body is Griffith's. He is sickly skinny and covered in lesions from frequent whippings. The skin on his back has been peeled off, revealing the muscles underneath. A metal helmet is locked to his head, and is shaped in a cruel imitation of the helmet he wore as the White Falcon. Guts runs to and cradles Griffith in his arms. Just like on his back, several large patches of skin on his chest, stomach and sides have been peeled off. The nails on his hands and toes have been torn out. His tongue has been removed, and the tendons in his arms and legs have been cut. Guts asks for the key to Griffith's metal mask from Casca. She is much too stunned by what she sees to move, so Judeau takes the keys to help Guts. Together, they unlock and remove Griffith's mask, but what they see beneath is too horrifying for the others to see, and Guts warns Casca to stay away so that she cannot catch a glimpse of Griffith's face. They replace the mask back on Griffith. Griffith wakes, and the first thing he sees upon opening his eyes is Guts' face looking down on him. He slowly raises his arm, arm weakly wraps his fingers around Guts' neck. Guts is too overcome with emotion to notice, and he pulls Griffith into a hug, trembling. Griffith rests his hand on Guts'. Charlotte begs to see Griffith, but is held back by Pippin. Casca is having an internal crisis, and her heart is pounding. Suddenly, the cell door slams shut, locking everyone in. The torturer peeks his head through the window in the door and informs Princess Charlotte that he's called the guards, delighted that he'll have more subjects to torture. Guts slowly rises and asks the torturer whether or not he was the one who reduced Griffith to his mangled form. The torturer confirms the accusations, feeling safe behind the thick wooden door. He gleefully describes how he tortured Griffith for over a year, first cutting Griffith's tendons to stop him from running, then taking his nails and skin while Griffith was neither eating or sleeping. He describes using many torture techniques, among them hot irons and boiling water. He adds that he has peeled away Griffith's face the same way as other parts of his skin. The torturer then announces that he's kept his favorite part of Griffith's body as a trophy, hanging it around his neck like a necklace. He pulls up Griffith's tongue, and begins to lick it perversely. This sends Guts over the edge, and he charges the door, destroying it, and impaling the torturer on his enormous sword. As everyone watches, Guts dangles the torturer precariously over the edge of the staircase and above the seemingly endless abyss below. Guts extracts his dagger, which he uses to cut out the torturer's own tongue, before lowering his sword and letting the torturer slide down its length and falling down the hole to his death. An arrow lands at Guts' feet, drawing his and everyone else's attention to the upper levels of the staircase, which is inundated with guards, who order the group to drop their weapons. Casca can tell by the look on Guts' face that he has no intention of complying. Characters in Order of Appearance * Pippin * Anna * Charlotte * Judeau * Guts * Casca * Griffith